for locals, this was Sam's paradise, China Bistro #1, and now Starfish with substantial upgrade to the decor and new outdoor seating arrangements. It has a good bar area and great value on happy hour items. Their take on Pho Bo was lacking, it included a large piece of an inedible cow bone and meatballs, rather than thinly sliced pieces of beef. The noodles were overcooked, the standard accoutrements of sprouts and basil leafs were fairly small....and the broth had a overly aromatic quality...as if the broth came out of a can rather than prepared FRESH from scratch and simmered for hours. Overall, the ambiance is great, parking is easy, and the food is a good change from standard Mexican or typical pub food and most of the places in downtown Laguna. This would be a great place to bring friends and enjoy the experience with a few light dishes to share....but if you're looking for quality and more authentic and exciting Thai or Vietnamese fare (and cheaper), this is probably not the place for you. Like any chic Asian spots, it's more geared towards finicky and less discerning eaters who are more comfortable with glorified American-Chinese food...sweet, not too spicy and many meat-centric dishes.... read more

Haven't been here in a few years. I had the slow cooked baby backs, unbelievable flavor even the spicy cole slaw was great. Service as prompt and friendly. Only complaint is it's a bit too dark for me. But overall a very positive experience. The menu choices are plentiful even for lunch. read more

On a beautiful day in Laguna, and having tried most of the restaurants in town, my dad wanted to take us to Starfish for their contemporary Asian fusion cuisine. He had raved about their awesome wet ribs and I was very excited to try it since I was craving fish. We arrived at Starfish and sat down and I immediately took in the beautiful restaurant. I loved the dark room, Venetian plastered walls, plants, and the blue booths encompassing a gorgeous bar. The entire restaurant places you in a far away Asian land and sets the mood for the food. Not only was the décor and ambiance perfect for the restaurant but our waitress was very nice and accommodating the entire time. My only critique is that although it is lunch, they should have a hostess at the hostess stand instead of just seating yourself. Besides that though, the food was pretty delicious. We started out with the lobster macadamia nut roll, edamame, and Korean tacos. The lobster roll was pretty tasty but a little too sweet for my liking when it comes to sushi. It was stuffed with lobster, mango, cucumber, cilantro, and rolled in rice paper and topped with toasted macadamia nuts. The macadamia nuts were a but overpowering to the roll and I would've liked to have tasted more of the lobster because the roll itself was very sweet. Nonetheless it was very good. After we had the Korean tacos with the sriracha aioli on the side. The tacos were okay and not my favorite but they were tasty. The dish comes with three tacos on small corn tortillas stuffed with skirt steak and pickled vegetables. The taco was a little dry and I wish the aioli was a spicier but I'm a connoisseur for spicy food. The edamame was absolutely delicious and probably my favorite appetizer. Coming out piping hot dressed in a sesame, soy, and garlic sauce, they hit the spot. For my entrée, I ordered the cures sashimi platter since I wasn't very hungry after the yummy appetizers. The presentation on my sashimi was beautiful. Color coordinated from yellow tail, salmon, and ahi tuna, the fish layer atop of a chive and cucumber salad and was adored with roe. The fish was very fresh and had a reminiscence of sake but was almost smokey and sweeter at the same time. It was absolutely delicious and one of the best fish dishes I've had in a while. Overall my experience at Starfish was great and it is definitely a hot lunch and dinner spot to try in Laguna. I'll definitely be back! read more

Starfish - Cured Sashimi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I went here for dinner last night with a friend, his wife, and their daughter. I really am not a fan most of the time for Thai food, but I am now a convert. The location is right across the street from the old Treasure Island Mobile home park. Plenty of parking! Very attentive service from Trisha. We played "Trisha roulette "where the server chooses The food. She brought out a couple of appetizers and then we feasted on four or five main dishes. Since it was Eric's birthday, they brought him a mango ice cream dessert but we then shared to others. Of all the entrées, I liked the short ribs with barbecue sauce and the Mongolian beef the best. No doubt I will be back. Found out about the sweet place from the OC weekly newspaper. read more

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We have visited Star Fish twice in the last few months for their Opium Hour and WOW! What a great place! Starting with the excellent hostess, Dominique, who along with the manager extraordinaire, Kayla, have perfected the reservation, seating and overall premier greeting upon entering the establishment. Our first experience was with Cynthia who was personable, helpful with the menu, and made our experience a BLAST. We love her! Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of Celeste at our table. Service was excellent and speedy! We LOVE the sushi here, super fresh and served with homemade ponzu. We also LOVE the tempura shrimp roll, which is the best in a 20 mile radius. If you really want to spice up your happy hour, try the Tiger Blood martini, my hubby loves it! Be sure to make reservations well in advance to get a seat at this hot spot! Have fun! read more

Awesome place across the street from the Montage. We loved the atmosphere and the food and had great service. Check out the Hot Fish for sure. Best of all after dinner we just walked over to the Montage and had a drink there and did some first class people watching. Thanks to the staff at Starfish we will be back ! read more

Skip the deserts and starters, they were not impressive at all. But the two main courses we tried were awesome. The Bangkok Udon noodles and the garlic noodles were soooooo tasty!!! read more

Enjoyed a nice evening here! Couldn't have had better service from our waiter William! He was an absolute pleasure to have and made our night even more enjoyable. Great personality and the most amazing service from him! Thank you! As well as the amazing food our party shared, I couldn't say better things! William had recommended the crab wontons which we ordered and I HIGHLY recommended everyone to try the if you visit here. One of my favorite dishes of the night! read more

Starfish has really picked up their game a lot I rediscovered the place 6-8 months ago and have been back multiple times since then. They do a great halibut wrapped in a bannana leaf. Ask for a large order of extra curry on the side as you will need it. The Lemon Chicken and Chicken Curry were both excellent. read more

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! Every taste wonderful and fresh! I'm working my way through entire menu. You will not be disappointed in any entree. My only request is some sort of key lime dessert. Will return tomorrow. read more

This place has good ambiance. Our server Jaime was great, super sweet and efficient. The pina colada type of cocktail is amazing. I just wish they had more vegetarian options. read more

I like the ambience of this place. The only thing I think they should change is the seating arrangements for a bigger groups. I had about 16 people in my group but the table that they had available was a little small. Other than that, the service was phenomenal and the waiter that helped us knew his stuff. read more

Starfish - Asian Fusion Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

OMG We missed you guys so much we have been away quarantining for this Covid. But the minute we got back we ordered from starfish our favorite everything was as we remembered and unbelievably good you guys are the best read more

We went to opening night and had a great experience. The place looks amazing, what attention to detail. It is very swanky, sexy and relaxing, feels like being on vacation at a high end resort. The food matched the atmosphere - amazing! We tried numerous dishes, summer rolls, tacos, bok choy, cucumber salad, filet, thai chicken, shaky beef and all were wonderful. The tastes were authentic and each dish was delicious. The service was great, very attentive and friendly. Would HIGHLY recommend. read more

We found this place on yelp and it definitely lives up to the all the 5 star reviews. We had a large party and shared several dishes. Every single dish was absolutely delicious, service was great, ambience was wonderful - I'll definitely be coming back. read more

My wife and I had an amazing experience last week another couple at this place. Mario was an incredible waiter and the food was unbelievably delicious! The wild caught Sea Bass is my favorite fist and this was the best we had anywhere! We had 6 different dishes of food and desert and every item we ordered including the desert was a 10+ OMG! Can't wait to go back worth every dime! You won't regret this place! read more

Great experience open late what a hidden find, in a mall area but when you enter feels like a swanky LA lounge restaurant style, small nice music delicious eats recommend the cold saki black label pear one. We tried Kung pai shrimp and coconut rice yum. The dumplings were so good perfect bites also recommend the sushi rolls and scallops. Delicious we'll be back! read more

Amazing! A hidden gem in Laguna. Food is 5 star. Service is a 10! You will not be disappointed!

Good but not great food, service was very good, atmosphere and parking is great. Not too loud. Why I'm not rating higher - I ordered Pad Thai with chicken, they did not say there was an upcharge for chicken yet it showed up on the bill, $6! So instead of it being $12 it's $18 and that is not disclosed. I should rate this place 2-stars but I'm in a good mood so they got a free star. (Also Won Ton soup is $12 and that's the smallest portion... really guys? I skipped it.) Pad Thai is a common well-known dish which I have ordered in many many restaurants all over northern & southern California. There is never ever an upcharge for chicken, let alone six bucks, it's understood Pad Thai comes with it at every other restaurant. If you're going to be "cute & different" and have your menu be different than every other Thai restaurant, at least tell the customer (me) at time of order that there is an upcharge for chicken. Which is outrageous in the first place but the server has a responsibility to mention it and she didn't. Put a small dent in my nice evening as I felt taken advantage of to be quite honest. Not cool and I'm not really motivated to come back. read more

Neal is the best bartender! He manages the bar with professionalism, style and grace! He is so kind to each and every single customer & not to mention, his drinks are BOMB! Highly recommended!!! Thank you Neal! You're the best!!! read more

Starfish - Asian Fusion Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

The food here was absolutely spectacular. The waiter recommended the entrees - ranging from sushi, to curry, to noddles. Everything was off the charts. I wish that I lived closer, as I can't imagine not craving this restaurant every week! You MUST try the sea bass. Chilean Sea Bass read more

We have been planning to visit Starfish ever since we discovered the very excellent Mexican restaurant in the same shopping center. Starfish is a beautifully decorated restaurant, smaller inside than it would appear, was busy and bustling on a Monday evening. Hostess was very accommodating and professional, server was attentive and friendly. I wish they had a good IPA draught, the Boont amber they serve was a little light for my taste. Food was excellent however, we started with soft shell crab sliders, nice variation on the theme, three are served for $15. Cucumber salad ($8) was a big hit at our table, refreshing and delicious. We ordered star fried rice, crab fried rice, California roll sushi and garlic noodles for the table. Everything was fresh, served hot and we were all commenting how flavorful it all was. Very enjoyable experience, highly recommended! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in the WORLD. It is an asian-fusion restaurant in Laguna Beach that has recently won the "Golden Foodie" award for best asian cuisine, winning over Anqi (who is a huge competitor and also an amazing restaurant). My family goes to Starfish pretty frequently, so much that the owners and some servers have made the effort to get to know us by name. We have always been treated SO well, and the food still always tastes as amazing as the first time. Starfish is not just a meal, but an experience of flavors, where you find yourself chewing a little bit slower trying to savor the detailed and outstanding flavors of each bite. Our favorites include: Wok Fired Edamame: we ALWAYS start the meal off with this, the most flavorful edamame I have ever had. It has such an amazing garlic, togarashi, salty flavor that keeps you sucking on the bean pod even after you ate the beans. Pork Potstickers: The quality and juiciness of the meat inside, its subtle umami-with-a-hint-of-ginger flavor, and the smooth but chewy texture of the wrapping is what stands out about these. They are served with a garlic scallion soy dipping sauce. Braised BBQ Pork Buns: Sweet pulled pork, acidic pickled red onions, refreshing crunchy cucumbers...all in a silky, soft, pillowy steamed bun. These are TO DIE FOR. I have had my fair share of pork buns, and these are still the best. Black Bean Banh Mi Sliders: THIS IS MY FAVORITE APPETIZER. It has beautiful, buttery yet smoky wagyu beef that melts into your mouth, topped with a sweet scratch black bean sauce, shiitake mushrooms, and a whole refreshing and FRESH thai basil leaf. All on a sweet hawaiian roll. The flavor in these sliders is something indescribable. MUST ODRDER. Mahi Mahi "Hot Fish": Wok fired crispy mahi with sweet and spicy Sauce, bok choy, carrots, and snow peas. The mahi is only slightly breaded, but breaded enough to crispy up very nicely on the outside and STAY crispy despite the tangy, thicker sauce covering it. Sichuan Japanese Eggplant: This has just a BURST of flavor. The eggplant becomes soft as it absorbs all of the sauce, which is tangy and spicy. This tastes amazing over their house coconut rice, which comes with every large meat dish Chicken Lemongrass Coconut Curry: This is my sister's favorite food in the world. Amazing on top of coconut rice as well. read more

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We love this place! We went on a recent Monday night and the place was packed, so these guys are doing something right. Located in far south Laguna Beach across from the spectacular Montage Resort, it a quick drive up from Dana Point or San Clemente on PCH and you don't have to deal with downtown Laguna's parking and traffic hassles. I love the lemon chicken with broccoli and my wife likes the seafood curry. The coconut rice is delicious. Happy hour prices are quite reasonable. The wait staff we've had have been great. We go early to get a table and take advantage of "Opium Hour," usually without reservations, but I'd recommend getting one if you go later or on weekends and holidays. read more

This place is been around for several years now and it is less than a mile from my home. I visit often because it is a great place to take friends to visit me from out of town. They have great pho and it has a nice vibe going on as it is dark inside and also would work well for a first date or even a business meeting. The only downside when we went last time was that the post was not greeting potential customers and was gabbing with the bartender which was unprofessional. read more

We visited this restaurant after reviewing Yelp recommendations. We joined the clientele at 3 pm on a Saturday after wine tasting. The atmosphere cool and easy. It wasn't over busy. Happy Hour was happening so it was a great value. Drinks were good, albeit I would've liked the drink I ordered with a little less pama syrup, but that is more a personal preference than a poor review of the mixologist. The spicy tuna was amazing. We were not disappointed. Would visit again and recommend. read more

I've been in this shopping center a million times, but never noticed Starfish. Checked out this place for OC Restaurant week and was pleasantly surprised! It's a small, unassuming restaurant from the outside, but has a very modern, classy atmosphere inside, almost like an upscale LA club scene vibe, with prices on the regular menu to match. I splurged on a $12 beverage, the Starfish Cooler (mandarin vodka, muddled kumquat, mint yuzu, splash of soda, & blood orange liqueur). It was very refreshing. We all chose various dishes from the $20 menu (SUCH a good deal), which had a great variety of creative dishes/influences from all over Asia (Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Philipine, Vietnamese, etc.). I had: ***salmon poke seaweed salad, ***Indonesian cumin chicken satay with coconut peanut sauce, ***Imperial fried rice (Chinese sausage (YUM!), grilled chicken breast, tiger prawns, edamame, corn, jasmine rice), and ***coconut mango pudding for dessert. All the dishes were AMAZING and I'd have them all again in a heartbeat. I'd def go back to try other dishes as well. Only drawback is the regular menu is a bit on the pricy side, but looks like there are a range of prices so you can pick and choose depending on what you're willing to spend. And they have a Happy Hour/Opium Hour that seems to have some decent deals if you can't wait for next year's OC Restaurant Week. read more

It is a great place! Whenever you are in Laguna, don't miss it! Food is delicious and the ambiance is delightful. The only place I've taken so many food pics in CA)) read more

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Came here for OC Restaurant Week and was not super impressed. The appetizers that had lobster in it didn't really taste like they did. They were definitely hidden by all the extra sauces and fried dough. Try getting a different appetizer. The entrees I believe had a huge spectrum of items that either were really worth the price and some that were definitely not worth the price at all. My smart friend ordered the 5 spice baby back ribs and they were beautifully cooked and tasted awesome. My other friend though order the fried rice and that was definitely not as good as the ribs by any means. Dessert was really good. The bread pudding was made extremely well and wasn't too sweet either. Overall I just wasn't too impressed, but the food was still pretty good, I just don't think it's worth the price. read more

We walked across the street from the Montage one night, because we'd been Montaged out (how this happens, I cannot say) and did not feel like making the trek back to downtown Laguna or to DP. LOCATION & PARKING: Located in a strip mall and on PCH, there is FREE PARKING and it is an easy in/out to the street (because there is a light). Although there is no view, the dining experience will make up for it. AMBIANCE: An Asian fusion type restaurant, the decor meets the theme without getting too tacky. People are dressed nicely and classy, while not overly fancy. Because of a football game going on and a lot of us peeking over to see the TV, there were moments where we were talking from table to table... but not in a disturbing way that no one was rude about it. (We were asked by other tables because we had a better view from our seats than they did. I didn't mind this at all.) Everyone seemed to be having a great time and were laughing, smiling, and enjoying. This may have been the food, the service, or the company. I enjoyed all 3 myself. SERVICE: From the hostess stand to our departure, everything and everyone was on part with our expectations. Our server Alexis was super nice (not in a fake way!) FOOD & DRINKS: Again, this is Asian fusion. I didn't expect it differently given what I read beforehand. That said, no complaints whatsoever with any of the delicious food! Holy cow, we ate at least 5-7 items including at least the wontons, poke, dumplings, calamari, satays, and more... No complaints on any single item we had. In actuality, I was bummed that I couldn't take anything (of what we even had left) home since we were staying at the hotel. Also, the drinks were on par with my expectations (and I say this, because some restaurants can actually screw up a Washington Apple Martini!). I actually wished we stuck around here for our nightcap instead of the ridiculous prices we spent on the fancy drinks at the Montage. Oops! Bottom Line - Amazing experience! I'm now drooling as I finish this review and hoping to return real soon. =) read more

Amazing ambiance, loved our server Mario! We had the Chillean Seabass curry and a few appetizers and i must say, that fish was delish didn't even need lemon with it... Will definetly be back! read more

Amazing dinner and ambiance... definitely coming back. So delicious!!! Service was exceptional, very attentive and friendly. Overall, experience was incredible and food was so fresh and tasty! read more

Great ambience, beautifully decorated restaurant. Mixed drinks are a big hit, and the wine list has a decent selection of inexpensive and fine wines. Korean Galbi tacos, ahi poke were great. Loved the whole fish fried and topped with Thai spicy sauce. Overall it was a great experience! read more

I have to say that Starfish was a hidden jewel I never expected to find. I had heard about this new "Asian Fusion" place in Laguna that I had to try, but frankly, I was a bit skeptical. Fusion restaurants seem to be nothing more than an excuse to make what they want and pretend it's a clever incorporation of two styles. Starfish proved me wrong. Everything was delicious and my fiancee and I literally cleaned every single plate that was put in front of us. When we arrived, we were greeted by Misti, the incredibly warm and friendly hostess. I felt like I knew her by how welcoming she was. She took us to a nice and secluded spot in the back, made some recommendations, and left us to enjoy our dinner. During dinner, Gretchen, the manager, stopped by our table to check on us. It was a really busy Saturday night, but she didn't seem rushed and she wasn't intrusive either. Most places, managers stop by like they are just doing the rounds to say they did it. She really seemed to care about how our night was and she was extremely pleasant. We would have invited her to sit with us if she wasn't working. :) We tried a bunch of things on the menu so I'm sure that's something you really want to read about. 1) Ahi Poke: OMG it was sooooo good. It's basically a tuna tatare with slightly larger chunks of tuna. The avocado added the perfect amount of creaminess which seemed almost redundant because the tuna was so fresh and had it's own level of creaminess, but the flavor profile of the two was a perfect compliment. The micro greens on top added the right amount of bitterness to offset the sweetness and the taro chips were the perfect vessel. My only gripe was that I wish there was another chip or two because it would allow me to enjoy the dish longer. However, even without the chips, the dish was tasty by the spoonful. 2) Braised Pork Belly: Heaven on a steamed roll. Wow! I would order up an entree sized plate of these. The pork belly is so tender and juicy. I've had pork belly a ton of times at a ton of places. Sometimes it's rubbery. Sometimes it's too salty, like they think it's just bacon, but thicker. Other times, there's no flavor. This was none of those times. It was the perfect texture, size, and flavor. The steamed bun it's served on is not like the typical "Cha Shu Bao" you get at a dim sum place. This was a flattened version that was almost like a tortilla, but thicker and fluffier. It gave all the flavor of Dim Sum with the feel of a taco. I hope that makes sense. No gripes here. 3) Baby Back Ribs: I wish I had ordered the full rack. I think my fiancee and I fought over every last chunk of meat on those bones. If it wasn't such a nice place, we would have sucked those bones to get the juices off them. The ribs were tender, not fall off the bone tender, but anyone who knows good BBQ knows that means it's overcooked. These were perfect. The sauce was sweet but not too sweet, and the carmelization on top was just enough to give it that crunch and tang without tasting burnt. 4) Imperial Fried Rice: This was a perfect side, even though it's entree sized. We gobbled every bit up. Normally when you order anything with shrimp in it, there are maybe a couple in there. Not here. There was plenty of shrimp; enough that my fiancee, who loves shrimp, couldn't eat it all. She actually planned on saving some of the rice to take home but by the time she was able to stop eating, there were only two spoonfulls left. She took it home, probably just to say she followed through. :) 5) Flourless Chocolate Decadent Cake: It's not a souflee, but it sure was close. The ice cream and dark richness of the cake was a very suitable replacement for the chocolate souflee dreams are made of. If you are a chocolate lover, try this out and you won't be disappointed. If you aren't, try it any way. You might become a believer. 6) Peach Cobbler: This was the star of the night. Seriously. This was so good, I want to go back just for more. Enough said. Try Starfish and you'll come back. It does have a nightclub vibe like another reviewer stated, but it's not excessive and it's not loud. Maybe it's just you feel cooler being there... read more

We LOVE this place. The last time we were there I had their whole Snapper. WOW!! WOW!!! Incredible. Actually, just about everything we've had there has been absolutely great. Two thumbs up. We've been there three times now, and will be back many times I'm sure. read more

This is our 2nd time here. The best food. The best service. Spicy curry, sweet coconut and wonton soup are just a couple of our favorites! It's so welcoming for large parties 6-10. The bar is perfect for two or sit outside on patio and watch the sunset. Christopher and Gretchen will take care of you! Thank you again :) read more

Starfish - Sushi yummy! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Very Large Menu. Wouldn't hurt to peruse before you get here. Our table ordered the Sambal String Beans(ordered 3x) , Filet Mignon Satays, the Pho and Bangkok Spicy Udon and the Mongolian beef. To drink we shared plenty of Ty Ku Cucumber & Coconut Nigori cold Saki and Sapporo beer. Some others tried the other libations like the Buddha's Kiss Acai Spirit, Vodka, mango puree, chili-salted rim, fresh lime. It looked divine, but too much going on for me. Our party was large and it seemed a little chaotic at times. I will have to come back with a smaller party and try again. This place is across from the Montage in Laguna Beach. Next to the CVC with plenty of parking lot parking. read more

The food, ambiance, and service was wonderful! The mussels were so insane! I also loved the crab fried rice! We got string beans and shrimp dumplings as well! Will definitely come back for happy hour and dinners:) Mario is the best! He was incredibly kind and he had a wonderful voice when he sang me happy birthday! :') read more

This place is amazing! Got the whole fish kung pao style, and a few other items like the mahi mahi hot fish, as well as the chili wontons, everything was excellent! It's hard to find flavorful food in this area! read more

Amazing service here. First time eat at starfish definitely recommend. Fersure coming back with family's and friends. Sushi is really good and fresh. read more